Following AMSANT's leadership on the development of the Environmental Health Our Way (EHOW) Guidance Tool and Program Design Toolkit, involvement with the development of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) Roadmap to an Environmental Health Workforce and the Housing for Health and NTG Healthy Homes collaboration, significant momentum has been generated to advance community based environmental health reform across the Northern Territory.
Supporting this work and published in the Medical Journal of Australia paper, A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Economic Impact of Environmental Risk Factors on Inpatient Hospital Separations in the Northern Territory shows the impact that preventable illness has on our on our people through health system costs.
Building on this body of work, NT Housing and NT Health presented a proposal to the Joint Steering Committee (JSC), which has gained in-principal support to investigate the development of a coordinated environmental health initiative. This endorsement recognises the growing evidence that investment in environmental health is fundamental to improving health outcomes, reducing preventable hospitalisations and addressing the broader social and cultural determinants of health for Aboriginal communities.
The program will seek to strengthen local capacity, support Aboriginal leadership, improve housing and environmental conditions, and deliver measurable improvements in health and wellbeing through a culturally informed, prevention-focused approach. The long-term objective is to establish a sustainable, fully funded environmental health program that delivers ongoing investment in environmental health services, workforce development and community-led initiatives across the Northern Territory.